In 2024, despite progress seen in Africa, it has been revealed that Ethiopia scored low on internet freedom.

According to a report released by Freedom House regarding the world’s internet freedom for the year 2024, improvements have been noted on a continental level. However, internet freedom in Ethiopia has declined significantly.

Ethiopia is reported to have very limited internet freedom with a score of only 27 out of 100, ranking last in Africa. The report highlighted that the internet shutdown in countries experiencing armed conflicts, such as Ethiopia, has exacerbated the lack of information and hindered journalists from reporting on human rights violations committed by those involved in the conflicts.

The study conducted by the Institute covered 17 countries in Africa and praised countries like Ghana and Zambia for making significant improvements in internet freedom.

The Institute pointed out that internet freedom is particularly restricted in countries experiencing armed conflicts, using Sudan and Ethiopia as examples. They criticized the government authorities in these countries for shutting down the internet under the guise of security reasons and targeting journalists.

According to Freedom House, in countries like Ethiopia, individuals have been detained for sharing information online. Another study by the Center for Rights and Democracy (CARD) estimated that Ethiopia lost over $1.5 billion by shutting down the internet in 2023 only.

It is remembered that the Ethiopian government has used the shutdown of the Internet and other basic services as a weapon in the war of genocide against Tigray for more than two years, and the siege has been recorded as the longest in world history.